Make India Asbestos Free

Journal of Ban Asbestos Network of India (BANI). Asbestos Free India campaign of BANI is inspired by trade union leader Purnendu Majumadar. It has been working for last 17 years. It works with peoples movements, doctors, researchers and activists besides trade unions, human rights, environmental, consumer and public health groups. BANI demands criminal liability for companies and medico-legal remedy for victims. For Details: krishnagreen@gmail.com

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Gujarat ill equipped to handle asbestosis

For the first time in the state, the Industrial Health and Safety Department (IHSD) has said on record that there are about seven companies dealing with asbestos-related products, in reply to a query under the Right to Information (RTI) Act filed by Ahmedabad- based activist, Raghunath Manwar. Asbestos is a hazardous material that causes asbestosis. The IHSD has refused to disclose any information about precautions taken against the killer disease.

In another RTI reply to Manwar on March 24, the IHSD has admitted that it has no equipment to detect asbestosis in the state.

Recent replies to Manwar’s RTIs by IHSD and Employees’ State Insurance Corporation India (ESIC) have shown discrepancies in the number of workers or labourers working in companies dealing with asbestos.

Manwar said: “I had asked about the available instruments necessary to detect asbestosis in the state. The IHSD has stated that it has no Chest X-Ray, no Pulmonary Lung Function Test, Sputum test, blood test and urine test facilities available for detection of asbestosis. IHSD has further said that the companies dealing with asbestos are taking preventive measures. However, it has declined to comment on the number of inspections conducted in these companies, calling it classified information.”

The companies have refused to comment on the precautions taken against the occupational hazard.

Also, there are a lot of discrepancies in the replies by ESIC and IHSD. The IHSD had claimed in its January reply that there were only 58 workers in companies dealing with asbestos; ESIC said in its reply that there are actually 1,384 labourers.

“The Supreme Court had asked to reduce the number of labourers working in the asbestos product manufacturing companies in 1995, but the number remains same. Where is the change?” Manwar asked.

IHSD Deputy Director P H Patel said: “We don’t have the hygiene lab, but it is the National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH) that tests asbestosis patients. Our factory inspectors might not have found asbestosis patients so they have not referred them to the NIOH.”

New RTI rules favour information seekerThe State Information Commission will be required to pronounce judgments in open courts now that new rules pertaining to the Right to Information (RTI) Act have been implemented with effect from March 22. The new rules also spell out the procedure of how the commission can act as a civil court.

“The commission can ask for oral or written evidence; it can ask for record or inspection of records. The new rules make public pronouncement compulsory,” said Harinesh Pandya of Mahiti Adhikar Gujarat Pahel, an NGO that promotes the use of RTI.

In order to benefit the information seeker, the new rules have come up with additional modes of payment. Earlier, payment could be made only through cash, non-judicial stamp, demand draft and bank pay orders. Now, it could be made through non-judicial stamp, electronic franking, judicial stamp paper, Indian Postal Order and revenue stamp.

The applicant can also pay the application fee in an authorised bank or through treasury challan.

Again, it would now be binding on the public information officer to inform the applicant about the required mode of payment. “This will save a lot of time, energy and most importantly, the money for travelling. Earlier, people had to travel to Ahmedabad from as far as Kutch to file an RTI,” said Pandya. The new rules have been published in the government gazette.

Health Matters

Ban on Asbestos is a Must

A study in a peer-reviewed journal had earlier estimated that there could be more than 6,000 workers affected by asbestosis (an untreatable lung ailment) and another 600 suffering at the minimum from asbestosis-related lung cancer in India at present. Occupational cancer from asbestos, the disease caused by emissions at the work place, poses an increasingly serious health problem. But the subject has attracted relatively little attention from industry, labour, public health bodies or the medical profession. Asbestos is one of the single largest sources of occupational cancer. Indian polticians are acting as if they are bonded workers of asbestos industry.

World Trade Center, New York collapsed Thousands of tons of asbestos became airborne.

Back in 1981, there was research coming out that Asbestos was cancer causing and this ad was in rebuttal to that research touting the benefits of using Asbestos. The text over the Twin Towers states, "When the Fire Alarm Went Off, It Took Two Hours to Evacuate New York's World Trade Center." I do not need to remind anyone of the images of September 11th and this ad. The copy below the ad goes on to mention all of the places that Asbestos was used in the World Trade Center. I can not not think of all of the innocent victims in the area that were exposed to all of the dust, smoke and inherent asbestos that was in the air after the buildings collapsed. The cloud of smoke went across the entire city and potentially exposed hundreds of thousands of individuals to asbestos. Hopefully there can be a cure or treatment for Mesothelioma before all of these potential victims are diagnosed.

Ban Use of Asbestos Products

Apex Court allocates meagre compensation for asbetsos victims

In 1995, the Supreme Court of India fixed Rs 1 lakh compensation amount and identified National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH) as the final authority to certify asbestosis cases. Compensations are given through the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC). Two workers in Ahmedabad Electricity Company diagnosed as having asbestosis by NIOH have been compensated by Gujarat High Court. Twenty-five workers in asbestos jointing and packing industry at Mumbai were compensated by the Special medical board of ESIC. The court ruled that the industrial units must maintain a health record of every worker up to a minimum period of 40 years; insure workers under the Employees State Insurance Act or Workmen’s Compensation Act and give health coverage to every worker.

Asbestos Victims

Every day estimated 30 deaths in India is under way due to the ongoing trade and use of white asbestos. 'Asbestos' in Greek means 'indestructible'. Greeks called asbestos the 'magic mineral'. Asbestos is a generic term, referring usually to six kinds of naturally occuring mineral fibres. Of these six, three are used more commonly. Chrysotile is the most common, accounts for almost 90 per cent of the asbestos used in the industry, but it is not unusual to encounter Amosite or Crocidolite as well. Though Crocidolite asbestos is banned in India, it can still be found in old insulation material, old ships that come from other countries for wrecking in India. All types of asbestos tend to break into very tiny fibre, almost microscopic. In fact, some of them may be up to 700 times smaller than human hair. Because of their small size, once released into the air, they may stay suspended in the air for hours or even days. Asbestos fibres are virtually indestructible. They are resistant to chemicals and heat, and are very stable in the environment. They do not evaporate into air or dissolve in water, and they do not break down over time. Because of its high durability and with tensile strength asbestos has been widely used inconstruction and insulation materials - it has been used in over 3,000 different products. Where do we use it? In India, asbestos is used in manufacture of pressure and non pressure pipes used for water supply, sewage, irrigation and drainage system in urban and rural areas, asbestos textiles, laminated products, tape, gland packing, packing ropes, brake lining and jointing used in core sector industries such as automobile, heavy equipment, petro-chemicals, nuclear power plants, fertilizers, thermal power plants, transportation, defence.

Vladimir Putin government set up a panel of experts to give an opinion on a possible Russian asbestos ban. The panel’s report gave an impassioned defence of asbestos use. Dr Izmerov gave a presentation on "Chrysotile. Russian Experience in Occupational Health" at the International Conference on Chrysotile in Montreal during May 23 - 24, 2006. Russia exported 152, 820 MT of chrysotile asbestos to India in 2006.